So far, it has truly been a delight to work with Natalie. After our first two meetings, I was pleasantly surprised by the ways in which our partnership had already exceeded my initial expectations. Going into this partnership, I assumed that I would be akin to an assistant of some sort, who would help Natalie fetch supplies or keep her working space tidy. I had mistakenly conjured up an image in my head of a solemn artist who would be fiercely protective of her art. Needless to say, this image was completely shattered as soon as I met Natalie in person.

During our initial meeting at Natalie’s studio, we discussed my availability and what we both hoped to gain out of this partnership. It was decided that we would meet every Friday from 2pm-6pm, as that was a time when I would be consistently free. Once we were done with the formalities, Natalie graciously invited me into the project she was currently working on, and shared with me her visions of what she was hoping to achieve. This project in the making is an installation that will take place in the Scotia bank dance center, and was commissioned by a few of the dancers there. It consists of roughly 1000 playing cards, which will be strung up on the ceiling and connected to each other with string. Each card is labelled with a different dancer’s name. Without going into too much detail about this installation, the premise behind it is that in someway or another, everyone in the dance community is connected and intertwined; much like the dangling cards.

I think this project will be a perfect addition to the dance center that will really highlight the solidarity shared by the dance community. Also, I think it will serve as a great conversation starter in our own VISA 375 class that will spark lots of discussion regarding the art community, and whether or not we are all interconnected as well despite common stereotypes that tend to depict artists as reclusive, troubled souls.

As of now, I have been helping Natalie by sorting out cards alphabetically, inputting information on an excel sheet, cutting string, punching holes into cards, and assisting with all the other tedious yet very necessary tasks that are required in order to make this installation come to life. One thing I really appreciate is how she takes my constructive suggestions seriously, and how we work together in order to figure out the best way to complete these tasks in the most efficient way possible. It’s very much a true partnership in every sense of the word, and I feel as though she has really let me venture through this process with her as an equal and not just an “intern”. We tend to talk a lot as we work, which leaves a lot of room for us to openly give each other any feedback.

There hasn’t been a set deadline for when this project will be completed, but the goal is to have it done as soon as possible. Natalie and I keep each other updated through text, which is also how she lets me know where she wants to meet me depending on where she is working at on any given Friday. In November, she will also be collaborating on a piece with Althea Thaubergr that will show in the polygon gallery, and then later, working on another collaborative piece with 25 Emily Carr artists and 25 physicists called “Leaning out of windows”. I’m excited to see how those installations will be completed, and hopefully learn more about the multilayered mechanics that go on behind the scenes of an art piece. I also hope that by the end of this partnership I will be able to carve out a place for myself in the art community, and fully understand the role that my fellow classmates and I will play in each other’s lives once we go out into the working field.